Iron Butterfly Ironweed Vernonia lettermannii 'Iron Butterfly'
Other Common Name(s):
- Phonetic Spelling
- ver-NON-ee-uh let-ter-MAH-nee-eye
- Description
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Iron Butterfly Ironweed is a perennial wildflower in the aster family with a mounding habit and showy purple flowers. This cultivar was created to accentuate a compact habit, rapid growth rate, and long bloom period. Many frilly disc flower appear in summer at a time when other flowers are giving out to provide the bees and butterflies with nectar. They will flock to this plant! The foliage is attractive even when not in bloom, adding a finer texture to the garden.
Grow this plant in average well-drained soils in full sun to light shade. It is drought tolerant once established and poor soil tolerant so do not over-fertilize. Leave stems intact during the winter and cut to the ground in late winter or early spring.
Use Iron Butterfly in a rock garden, drought-tolerant garden or in the border of a pollinator garden.
- See this plant in the following landscapes:
- Pollinator Garden- Full Sun Pollinator Garden- Partial Shade
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Vernonia
- Species:
- lettermannii
- Family:
- Asteraceae
- Life Cycle:
- Perennial
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- Cultivar of a native plant
- Dimensions:
- Height: 2 ft. 0 in. - 3 ft. 0 in.
- Width: 1 ft. 6 in. - 2 ft. 0 in.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Herbaceous Perennial
- Perennial
- Wildflower
- Habit/Form:
- Dense
- Mounding
- Multi-stemmed
- Growth Rate:
- Rapid
- Maintenance:
- Low
- Texture:
- Fine
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
- Soil Texture:
- Clay
- Loam (Silt)
- Sand
- Shallow Rocky
- Soil pH:
- Acid (<6.0)
- Alkaline (>8.0)
- Neutral (6.0-8.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Occasionally Dry
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- Mountains
- Piedmont
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 4a, 4b, 5b, 5a, 6b, 6a, 7b, 7a, 8a, 8b, 9b, 9a
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Purple/Lavender
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Corymb
- Flower Value To Gardener:
- Long Bloom Season
- Showy
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Summer
- Flower Size:
- < 1 inch
- Flower Description:
- Frilly 1 inch purplish-red disc flowers in terminal corymbs in mid to late summer.
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Leaves:
- Leaf Color:
- Green
- Leaf Value To Gardener:
- Showy
- Leaf Type:
- Simple
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Alternate
- Leaf Shape:
- Linear
- Leaf Margin:
- Entire
- Hairs Present:
- No
- Leaf Length:
- 3-6 inches
- Leaf Width:
- < 1 inch
- Leaf Description:
- Attractive linear green leaves spiral alternately up the stem and become denser at the tips. Up to 5 inches long and 1/8 inch wide with smooth margins.
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Stem:
- Stem Color:
- Green
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Pool/Hardscape
- Slope/Bank
- Landscape Theme:
- Butterfly Garden
- Drought Tolerant Garden
- Pollinator Garden
- Rock Garden
- Design Feature:
- Border
- Attracts:
- Bees
- Butterflies
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Drought
- Dry Soil
